Giving Back to Brunello: New School Bus!

The new “Brunello Bus” outside La Fortezza!

Nella botte piccola sta il vino buono – It’s in the small barrel that you find the good wine (Italian proverb) 

When you consider the size of the commune of Montalcino, you begin to marvel at Brunello’s fame, popularity and the community behind it. Ever since the region became the first DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) in 1980, it has been producing some of Italy’s most sought-after wines.

Yet like so many tiny, hillside communities in Italy, Montalcino has fallen victim to numerous spending cuts over the past few years, and so when the old, local school bus finally broke down last year, it seemed an impossible task for the commune to raise €20,000 for a new model.

It was time to give something back to Montalcino. And so it was that last week in La Fortezza, the medieval fortress-turned-winery (see the Wine Challenge here), 25 Brunello producers hosted a wine charity dinner and auction for 300 guests to buy a new, 30-seater Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 519. 

Alwin Epple, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Italy, who also subscribes to JamesSuckling.com

JamesSuckling.com was proud to contribute by buying the first lot for €2000, and set the tone for a successful auction that ultimately raised the necessary funds in time for the next school year in Montalcino!

You can read about some pretty exceptional Brunellos that James managed to get his hands on during the evening and would highly recommend in his latest “In My Lalique” column.

For the retail tasting at La Fortezza, click here. For everything else related to Brunello, including over 300 of this year’s Brunello notes, here.

– Jack Martin Suckling